Medics, do you get more training in the hospital or Out on the line? if you had a choice would you work in a hospital or out on the line?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 04:54:54 -0500

This question goes out to all the Hospital medics and Line medics. and I use the term"hospital medic and "line medic" separate because there seems to be a difference between the two. Almost everything about the two seem to be as if they are two different MOS's. I feel that on the Line you trade up training for brotherhood but sometimes you don't get the deep medical training, compared to the medics that work up at the BSB. And at the hospital you trade the "army experience" ,because lets face it when you are a medic working at the hospital your basically a civilian, for deep medical training in whatever department you work in. And why is that Personnel see medics at the hospital and think less of them?

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2014 5:53 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 05:53:34 -0500

SPC(P) W.

Excellent question!!! So, why not go for the best of both worlds by working as Medic for Dustoff/Medevac, Field Hospital, or Evac Hospital? This makes you part of the tip of the spear with the flush of adrenaline through your veins given the critical nature and time pressure decision making of triage etc in the race to save lives and function.

I don't think any less of medics!!! They do an excellent job within their limited scope of practice. But, if you were my progeny, I would encourage you to get college biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, english, mathematics, etc courses out of the way while you are in the military with an eye toward pursuing nursing or medical school ( or maybe find a way to get admitted to nursing or medical school ) so you are well on your way toward a commission or viable civilian career when you feel that you may want a broader scope of practice with broader opportunities.

Warmest Regards, Sandy ( http://www.linkedin.com/in/armynurse )

Response by LTJG Robert M. made Mar 10 at 2014 2:50 PM

LTJG Robert M. — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 14:50:50 -0400

I was fortunate to be able to serve in a Clinic, Hospital and IDT.  I believe each has its own benefit, Hospital, we served in the ED and saw anything that came through the doors, put 84 sutures in a kids back one night. Clinic exposes you to the longer term illness environment, and IDT was a whole different book, we took things to the ED/Clinic that they never saw.  Crushing injuries (ammo hoist), fractures, broken teeth  from davits impact, penetrating eye injuries, diseases brought back from overseas/OutConus deployments.  One better than the other? No, combination of all three provided rounded experience.<br>

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2014 6:14 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:14:44 -0400

I spent my entire career as a "line medic," and in my opinion it's completely possible to get the best of both worlds on the line, but it depends on certain factors. If you're a line medic, and you have a PA that is approachable and is willing to take some of his time (highly valuable time at that) to train you up then you can become one BAMF of combat medic.

The vast majority of my medical training and knowledge came to me after I arrived at my first unit, not at AIT. Combine an awesome PA with CMAST and BCT3, and you can have a line medic that will be able to perform drastically above and beyond their normal scope of practice/68W10 skill set.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2014 10:28 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:28:02 -0400

I worked with 66W(Medics) mostly in the hospital. They are mostly of use in the ER. Problem with fixed facilities like Brooke Army and Walter Reed is they are credentialed by the Joint Commission so the scope of medics working in CONUS is very limited vs working in the field. This is the number one frustration voiced to me by the medics I've worked with. It is a legal thing so there is no getting around it. Working in the hospital they will get exposed to a greater variety of things, and it serves as a better teaching (Knowledge) environment. That being said, the field allow medics to do their actual job. A medic's job is to be with their troops and to care for them. I think fixed facility is just where you keep them between wars or to give them a break between deployments. Most of the medics I know would rather be in the field.

The Army did our medics a favor vs the other braches. Every Army medic (68W) is an EMT (Emergency Medical Tech). The next step up, the 68WM6, have gone to addition schooling to become LVNs (Licensed Vocation Nurse) - The LVN has much more use in a hospital because the hold a license from a state nursing board. The LVN has a bridge to RN, which allows them to get a commission later.

The medics I've met from both the air force and navy, after they got out of the military had no civilian recognized training. Which was an area of frustration for them, they were qualified to be a nurse's aid as far as hospitals were concerned.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2014 10:51 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 10:51:46 -0400

SPC Warden,

I couldn't agree more with you. My first true duty station, I was an Infantry Line Medic. I went through W1 at Fort Bragg, and then started the deployment cycle with my guys. I then went to an Artillery unit at Fort Sill, and earned their respect just like I did with the Infantrymen. I am not currently stationed at the hospital. When I was a line medic, I was out there with my men, and took care of them. I slept out under the stars just as they did, and participated in all of their training, trying to learn their job, and teach mine to them. I had very knowledgable PA's that I worked under at both line units, and they took their time, especially when we were doing Field Training Excercises, to show us some new things. I learned so much, and am on my way to start getting my classes knocked out to become a PA. In my honest opinion, I believe that all 68W's need to be assigned to a line unit first. That is what we were trained to do in the first place, then move to a hospital, or something similar in the future. I have unfortunately had medics that came from a hospital that then came to a line unit, and they did everything they could to fight the system, because it is completely different. In all reality, I agree that there should be two different medics. Hospital setting medics, and line medics. I feel that I learned more as a line medic, and right now, as a clinical NCOIC, I am more administrative, as with anything, the higher up you get, the more administrative it gets.

Response by SFC Robert Trodahl made Mar 13 at 2014 12:57 PM

SFC Robert Trodahl — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:57:19 -0400

I am not a medic, but I had them in the line. My hats off to the "DOCs" who cared for myself and my Soldiers, carried at least a 1/3 more wieght in the field, voluntarily carried exta supplies during operations "just in case" and ensured we had proper training in case he went down.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2015 8:24 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 08:24:47 -0400

As I have worked in both MEDDAC and the line, I believe that both have their benefits and drawbacks. While I worked in an ER, I was lucky enough to have doctors that would let me do more than just get vitals on patients and would let me and my fellow junior medics assist with certain procedures when we would call surgeons in. However, that was only in an ER setting and it was in Korea although we did follow Joint Commission. While working in a primary care setting, I was drawn back to primarily doing vitals and getting a basic background on the patient with no real hands on experience.

However, when I went to a line unit later, I saw that your medical training primarily depends on your NCOs and your PA. As someone else mentioned, a good PA will be willing to teach the medics stuff that they won't learn in AIT. However, with the current way that the Army is going in moving towards the PCMH/SCMH the hands on that line medics get will soon be disappearing too except for while in the field or deployed.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2015 6:19 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 18:19:35 -0400

I have been a line medic and in the last three years I have worked in the ER. I Have learned a lot from both settings. There are different experiences that you will come in contact with hospital settings or line settings. Just like any jobs out there, just balance the good and bad, just take with you what you learned. The only issue that I have is when HR Command sends me a brand new medic to Meddac...... It is not good for a new Soldier medic to be in Meddac, they get spoiled and start acting like civilians... All medic should go to the line or BSB....MY OPINION!!!!!

Response by SPC William Weedman made Jun 15 at 2015 4:28 AM

SPC William Weedman — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 04:28:07 -0400

I served as a first assignment in a FSB (in Korea at the time) supporting the infantry on the DMZ, so I suppose I was a line medic as needed but spent many hours in our MTF as well. After 6 months in a Evac Hospital stateside with no mission, I was happy to get back to a National Guard BSB and become a "field rat" with my tanker brothers. Since I spent most of my time "in the dirt" and living in grimy BDUs walking into an ER with a patient and seeing the medics there in their pretty white starched uniforms, we both probably looked down on each other, me looked at this "toy soldier" and him thinking I was a heap of trash that environmental needed to haul out to the dumpster.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2015 11:52 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 11:52:00 -0400

i have been on both sides of the spectrum. On the line side I felt more involved and connected with my guys even if the training is for first responder care it has its advantages. I was leaned and looked upon more for medical advise. I'm on a forward surgical team now and coming to that I had only done line duty. BIG change! I had to think 2nd echelon of care and learn more about equipment (propaqs, vents, suctions etc). I love the FST. I think if your high speed this is where you want to be.